An Error of Ignorance
by Blacknbluesiren
Summary: Neji is a genius, no doubt about it. But even geniuses make mistakes. Like overlooking the presumably weak, for example...Neji learns the hard way that there are some things Hinata will NOT tolerate, and God help the idiot who does not heed her. Oneshot.


Disclaimer: No ownage here!!

AN: Something I wrote while trying to put off doing my philsophy paper. Not the best thing ever committed to the written word, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone! For all you Neji fans out there: I like Neji. Really, I do. He is amazing. However, he WAS a bit of a jackass during the Chuunin exams (watching Naruto beat him kind of made my day, I will freely admit it). This takes place after the elimination rounds where he beats Hinata, but before the third part of the exam where Naruto beats him

An Error of Ignorance

Neji was rarely wrong about anything. Between his bloodline limit and his sharp observation skills, there was very little he did not know, or could not guess. He used this talent to his advantage, and it made him a very intimidating opponent. It was hard to feel confident in the face of someone who seemed to know your every move, thought, and feeling almost before you moved/thought/felt.

However, even the greatest of geniuses can overlook things, as Neji found out one crisp autumn afternoon. Overlooking things, it turns out, can be painfully critical.

When he thinks back on it, he realizes that the first mistake he made was that he never noticed how much Hinata _watched_ him. Whenever he trained, meditated, or hell even _ate_, he could feel those pearlescent eyes watching him from under a curtain of hair. He never bothered to gage the emotion there, dismissing the weakling as beneath him, but now that he thinks about it, they eyes that drilled holes into his being were watching him not with fear or awe, but with a sort of careful calculation, as if she was recording his movements and filing them away for future reference.

There was mistake one. Not noticing the potential threat there

Mistake number two, as it turns out, is also something he failed to notice early on. It was not well known outside the Clan, largely because the elders did EVERYTHING in their power to keep them separated, but Hinata was extremely close to her younger sister. Lacking a true mother, Hanabi had learned early that the only person who was going to care for her and care _about_ her as _Hanabi_ and not "the potential heiress" was Hinata. She did not cling, like most children, but Neji failed to notice the way Hanabi's eyes would instantly seek out her sister when they were surrounded by the arguing elders, or the way Hinata stood slightly in front of Hanabi when they were being lectured by their father, providing a shield of sorts for the smaller girl. Neji barely knew Hanabi, and regarded her with the same disdain as he did the rest of the Hyuuga Main House. He regrets now, not paying more attention to the relationship between the two sisters.

He was particularly angry with the world that day. A new child, a girl just barely four years old, had been branded part of the Branch House, and he had been forced to watch the sealing procedure. He had not been permitted to go train with his team, and when he had beaten the Main House member he had been sparring with (a fool who seemed tempted to activate Neji's seal every time Neji got the upper hand) he had gotten reprimanded for shaming the Main House. What, was he supposed to _lose_ on purpose now? It made him sick.

It was with these furious thoughts racing around his head that the Hyuuga genius stormed down the corridor, only to bang into the youngest member of the Main House. He glared down at Hanabi, who scrambled back to her feet and lifted her chin imperiously.

"My apologies, Neji-niisan," she said stiffly, and moved to step around him. She found her way barred, though, when Neji's arm snapped out and grabbed her shoulder. The boy glowered down at her.

"Main House _brat_," he seethed, his simmering rage finally boiling over. "How _dare_ you strut around like some sort of princess? You, who are weaker than I! Why must _I_ suffer the indignities your _foul_ family thrusts upon me when _you_ and your _goddamn, weak sister_ deserve them so much more?!" His grip on her shoulder was iron-tight and Hanabi bit back a cry of fear and pain. Her hands flew up to form the activation seals, only to find both her fists trapped in Neji's other hand. He chuckled darkly.

"No pathetic _child_ is going to bring me to my knees, Hanabi-_sama_," he mocked quietly. "Least of all yo--!"

There was a flash of movement behind him, and suddenly Neji could not see for the pain lancing through the side of his head. It was quickly followed by more pain, stabbing like needles, along the arm that had Hanabi's shoulder moments before. When his vision cleared, he looked up. His eyes widened.

She stood between them, more rock-solid and real than he had ever seen her before. She held his wrist in one hand, and the other was at the point right behind his elbow, two fingers digging into the flesh. She removed that hand and unwound some of the bandages around the appendage, showing him the red marks of blocked tenketsus, the way he had shown her at the preliminary rounds of the chuunin exam. He tried to jerk his arm away, still stunned, and found he couldn't budge. Her little fingers gripped more tightly than he imagined possible.

"Hinata-sama," he spat finally, covering up his confusion with self-righteous ire. She stared stonily back at him, and he realized with a jolt that, for the first time, she was not cowering before him or looking away. No, she was definitely looking at him and she was _definitely_ angry.

"You are entitled your feelings, Neji-_niisan_," she stressed the honorific only slightly, her voice soft but startlingly cold. Behind her, Hanabi had regained her breath and was watching the exchange with wide eyes, one hand on her injured shoulder.

"You are entitled your feelings, and you have every right to be so angry when your talent is both unrecognized and then hindered. _But_!" The tight grip on his wrist turned viselike, and Neji suppressed a wince. He had to fight to hold the shorter girl's gaze, and he wondered when it got so direct and so _threatening._

"_But_," the heiress continued, her voice still soft and icy, "regardless of how you feel, or how you choose to act on those feelings, you_ leave—Hanabi—out—of--it_." Every word was punctuated by Hinata's hand tightening fractionally around his wrist. He felt the bones creak and he grit his teeth.

"Do we understand each other?" Hinata leaned forward so their noses were practically touching. Neji turned his worst glare on her, infuriated and humiliated, but found—to his horror—that, here in this scenario, it seemed to hold no effect on her. Hinata stared right back, calm and dispassionate like a block of granite. The grip on his wrist did not slacken until he looked away and growled, "yes, Hinata-sama."

His wrist was instantly released and Hinata stepped back. She turned in a fluid motion, wrapping an arm around Hanabi's shoulders, and the two of them quickly departed, Hanabi grimly holding her frightened tears in check and Hinata whispering softly as they rounded the corner. Neji stood, stupefied, in their wake.

When he finally wrapped his mind around what the hell had just happened to him, he grimly marched out of the compound, determined to find the Hyuuga heiress and…well, he didn't know what, yet, but he had to do _something_.

He went directly to Team Eight's training grounds and, as he suspected, found his cousin there with her two teammates. He was surprised, though, to see Hanabi there as well. Quickly, he hid himself in the trees and watched with his Byakugan as the four moved around to practice their hand-to-hand combat.

"No bugs, no dogs, no Byakugan," Shino was saying as he settled into a defensive stance. "Hinata is with me. Hanabi, you work with Kiba."

Neji started and watched as the younger girl got into the Hyuuga traditional fighting stance, looking slightly apprehensive as the wild-looking Inuzuka crouched across from her. Kiba grinned widely at her.

"Don't worry," he said. "I don't bite. Well, not today anyway."

"I'm not afraid of you," Hanabi said quickly, though her eyes darted to Hinata as if to make sure the girl was still there. "Don't you dare go easy on me."

Kiba laughed.

"Wouldn't dream of it. The last time I went easy on a Hyuuga, your sister put me through a training post."

"Really?"

"His head is very hard," Hinata commented mildly as she slipped into her own fighting stance. "Kiba, don't hold back on her, but no claws, please."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Neji watched, slightly stunned, as Team Eight trained, easily integrating Hanabi into their workout. She clearly did not do this often, if ever, but Hanabi seemed to be accepted almost instantly by the two boys. Neji wondered if Hinata brought her along because she was afraid of being left behind in the compound. With him.

With a sigh, Neji dropped out of the tree. He really hated the Main House, and he _really_ didn't like Hinata at present, but his guilty conscience would not leave him alone if a nine-year-old child really was afraid of him now.

He stepped into view and all four halted almost immediately. Hinata and Shino both straightened slowly, but Kiba crouched lower, his teeth bared like a wolf. He heard growling behind him, and didn't need the Byakugan to know the Inuzuka's mutt was behind him. Hanabi took a half-step backwards, so she stood beside her sister, and met his gaze bravely. Neji crossed his arms.

"I apologize for interrupting. I wish to speak to Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama." Kiba growled and Neji mentally growled back. "_Please_."

Hinata put an arm around Hanabi and guided her forward. She tapped Kiba on the head as she passed him, and the boy got back to his feet. He stomped over by Shino and crossed his arms, glowering at Neji. Shino remained unmoving, but Neji knew the bug-nin was watching him carefully. Neji stepped back as the two girls came towards him, and his guilt complex bit him again as he observed Hanabi's reluctance to get too close. Hinata approached him first, a half-step in front of her sister like she did when facing off with her father. Once again, she was not timid.

"Yes, Neji-niisan?" She asked. Neji resisted the urge to sigh or rub his temples, and instead bowed jerkily.

"I apologize," he said to the ground, "for my behavior earlier today. It was unacceptable treatment of the Main House and--"

"Stop."

He looked up—glared, really. What, could she not even let him _apologize_ so he could bloody well get on with his life?

Hinata bent so they were eye-to-eye and she smiled a half-smile.

"If you are going to apologize to us because you feel you _must_, as a Branch member to a Main member, than I don't want to hear it. If, however, you are going to apologize because you are truly sorry for hurting Hanabi-chan, then do not talk to the dirt. It does not talk back, you know."

He slowly straightened, and she followed him. He was at least a half head taller than her, but he suddenly felt surprisingly young by comparison. He swallowed and glanced down at Hanabi, who was watching him silently. This time, he did sigh.

"I'm sorry, Hanabi-sama," he said finally, looking her in the eye. "I should not have lost my temper with you, and I should not have grabbed you. I apologize for hurting you," he glanced at Hinata, whose face remained impassive, "and for scaring you. It was uncalled for."

Hanabi slipped her hand into Hinata's, her face solemn.

"You're forgiven," she said in her grave voice. "But don't do it again."

He mentally twitched—_uppity brat—_and then turned to Hinata.

"Hinata-sama…"

She waved her hand.

"If you're going to apologize to me, don't. You have done nothing to me." Over her head, he saw Shino clamp a hand over a protesting Kiba's mouth. "If anything, I must apologize to you for hitting your head. And your arm." Her brow furrowed. "That was probably too aggressive."

"Only you would think something like that was too aggressive," Hanabi murmured. Hinata's mouth quirked into a smile and she nudged her sister.

"Enough, you."

Neji fought the urge to shift awkwardly, and bowed again.

"I will let you return to your training. Good evening."

Quickly, he turned on his heel and strode away.

As he walked back to the compound, he mused over the exchange, and wondered at Hinata's temporary transformation. She did not become _stronger_, per se, but it was if a flame had been lit inside the girl, making her more direct, less afraid. Had she always been that strong, but just too timid to utilize it? Was she only shy and timid around the Clan members, around him? Neji did not know. It occurred to him that, in fact, there was a lot about Hinata he did not know. He resolved to be more careful, and watch the heiress more studiously. After all, Hyuuga Neji was a genius who rarely ever made a mistake, and he would be damned if he ever made the same mistake _twice_. He would never underestimate his cousin again.


End file.
